Conservative MP David Wilks telling constituents that he has some concerns with the omnibus nature of the bill.

British Columbia MP David Wilks says there’s nothing a lone member can do to defeat the bill or force the Harper government to split up its 425 pages.

Wilks made the comments during a meeting Tuesday with a small group of constituents in his Kootenay-Columbia riding.

Portions of the meeting were videotaped and posted online Wednesday, prompting Wilks to quickly backtrack.

In the video, Wilks is urged by several constituents to vote against the omnibus budget bill, which features a host of non-budgetary measures including changes to the environmental assessment process, Old Age Security, immigration and Employment Insurance rules.

But Wilks says without similar defiance from at least a dozen fellow Tories, voting against the bill would be an empty gesture that would get him booted out of the Conservative caucus.

“Me doesn’t change the budget,” he tells the constituents. “If I stand up and say ‘no,’ it still passes.”

Shortly after the video surfaced, Wilks was back-pedalling.

“I wish to clarify my position with regard to Bill C-38, the Jobs, Growth and Long-term Prosperity Act,” Wilks said in a statement posted on his website.

“I support this bill and the jobs and growth measures that it will bring for Canadians in Kootenay-Columbia and right across the country.”

He explains that he has no choice but to support C-38 because party discipline is rigidly applied to budget bills.